Piper PA-25-235 accident near Healdsburg, California, May 4, 1983
On May 4, 1983 at about 3:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4709Y, was destroyed in an accident near Healdsburg, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1983 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Healdsburg, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4709Y · no longer on the register · serial 25-4441
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE STARTING HIS DUSTING OPERATION, THE PLT HAD OBSERVED THE GRAPE VINEYARD & MADE PLANS TO BEGIN ON THE FOLLOWING DAY. HE REPORTED OBSERVING THE POWER LINES THAT WERE SUSPENDED ACROSS THE VINEYARD. HOWEVER, HE DID NOT NOTICE THE ANCHOR WIRE THAT WAS LOCATED BENEATH THE POWER LINES. THE WIRE EXTENDED APRX 600 FT FROM A TOWER ON A HILL TO A POLE IN THE VINEYARD. DURING A SWATH RUN UNDER THE POWER LINES, THE ACFT STRUCK THE ANCHOR WIRE, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. THE PLT BELIEVED THAT THE FIRE BEGAN WHEN SULFER DUST SPILLED ONTO THE ENGINE EXHAUST MANIFOLD.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 031 Healdsburg CA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.